Many generations of fishermen have used the well known fishhook, typically made of metal and involving a shaft curving around to form at one end, a point or barb. An eyelet is typically formed at other end of the shaft, to which the fishline is tied. After the hook has been tied to the fishline, it is then but a simple matter to insert a piece of bait on the barb or point, and then lower the hook into the water, or else cast the hook and bait into the water by the use of a rod and reel.
For many generations the fisherman typically had to make a decision between the alternatives of inserting live bait or cut bait onto the hook before casting, but in recent years, the soft plastic worm has come into extensive use by young and old alike. These worms are manufactured in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, and the soft texture of these worms makes it a relatively simple matter to insert the head of the worm onto the point of the hook. It then is typical to force more of the worm onto the point of the hook, with some fishermen continuing such effort until substantially the entire shaft portion of the hook is covered by the worm, with only the lower portion of the worm not being impaled on the shaft of the hook. Other fishermen are more concerned with moving the head of the worm for a considerable distance onto the shaft of the hook, such that the head of the worm is caused to be brought into contact with the uppermost portion, or eyelet of the hook.
Unfortunately, the soft texture of the plastic worm is such that this insertion of a substantial portion of the length of the worm onto the shaft of the hook frequently becomes a distinct disadvantage. This comes about when a fish seizes the worm in his mouth, for often the soft plastic worm at that time slides down the shaft of the hook, forming a bulk of plastic at the location of the principal barb or point of the hook. This amount of plastic at that crucial location in effect forces the point of the hook out of the fish's mouth.
One prior art patent worthy of note with regard to the instant Double Barbed Fishhook is the Wagenknecht U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,060, which issued Sep. 10, 1974, and which teaches a device having much the appearance of a common safety pin. In his patent, this patentee sets forth that his fish hook utilizes a single wire strand having a barb 10 at one end, and extending from this barb in an arcuate fashion is a hook 11. From the hook 11 the single wire extends in a shank 12 to a loop 13 in the wire which defines the opposite end of the hook structure. The patentee continues on to describe that the loop 13 has at least one complete hoop and terminates in a portion 14 extending somewhat diagonally outwardly to a second shank 15 which is parallel to the shank 12. The shank 15 is stated to extend to the opposite or terminal end of the wire 16 and has thereon a barb 17 directed toward the loop.
The patentee thereafter explains that ". . . the barbs 10 and 17 are substantially opposite one another . . . " and he also explains that ". . . the spacing between the barbs 10 and 17 is substantially equal to the distance between the barb and the shank 12." Thereafter the patentee states that ". . . the shanks 12, 15 ends 10 and 17 and loop 13 are generally coplanar to one another with the obvious exception that there is a slight lateral offset at the loop 13 to accommodate the two widths of wire."
It is obvious that Wagenknecht has not provided a fish hook utilizing a primary point, and a secondary point spaced from and directed toward the primary point in a manner permitting a soft plastic worm to extend between the barbs associated with the primary and secondary points. As a matter of fact, the patentee utilizes the term "minnow" many times in his patent Specification. FIG. 2 of this patent illustrates that the minnow 20 is inserted onto the shank 15, with the shank 12 serving to apply pressure against the fish ". . . to thereby aid in holding it on the shank 15."
It is quite apparent that Wagenknecht does not at all use his "Fish Hook" in the manner taught in the instant invention, for in the present instance the curved primary hook portion engages a mid or abdominal portion of a plastic worm, whereas the spacing of the short secondary shaft is such as to engage the head end of the plastic worm.
The Zech U.S. Pat. No. 2,745,208 utilizes an exceedingly short Specification in which it is stated that his hook ". . . may be considered to function somewhat like a safety pin in which the bait attaching device 5, of stiff resilient wire, is similar to that portion of a safety pin which has a pointed end."
Like Wagenknecht, patentee Zech states quite specifically in several locations in his Specification that his "Fishhook" is to be used with live bait, for he illustrates a bait or minnow 11 impaled on the portion 10 of his device, which portion 10 extends downwardly from the portion 9 ". . . in substantially spaced relation to the shank 2 and substantially coplanar therewith . . ."
It is therefore manifestly apparent that neither of these patents teaches a double barbed fishhook having a shaft configured to form a primary point and barb at one end, and a short secondary shaft at the other end, with a barb being utilized closely adjacent the end of the secondary shaft. Because the secondary shaft of the instant invention is directed toward the primary point, and is spaced from the point for at least one inch, a plastic lure can readily be mounted to extend between the barbs at these locations in a realistic and highly satisfactory manner, with any bunching of the worm upon the primary point at the time a fish strikes being entirely eliminated.